Part 3: The portrait of Mao Asada by the story which Tarasova talked about.
November 14th, 2013
Interviewer: By Masaaki Sasaki
■ Mao, fall in love.
（Aiming at Vancouver Olympics in 2010, Mao Asada partnered with Tarasova. In the living room, the teacher-pupil relationship between them used to become a popular topic of conversation. Tarasova sent advice to Asada then, namely, she said, "Mao, fall in love".)
“It is so-called love to continue to think seriously about someone. Love leads to some change and gives some inspiration. It reanimates oneself. It makes power pervade. Love is the most splendid thing that exists in this world.”
(Tarasova encouraged Asada all the time. She hugged Mao even in the presence of other people who won with a high score in an event.)
"I tuned in to Mao all the time. Therefore, a word wasn't necessary just before the competition. I gazed into her eyes and grasped her hand. Sometimes, I spoke a short word to her. It was only one word. It was very few words that I spoke through an interpreter at a rink. When I would like to speak a word to her, I learned the word in Japanese. Mao felt what I would like to say and understood it."
(In the Vancouver Olympics, 3 years before which they wrestled absorbedly with, Asada won the silver medal)
"She succeeded in landing the triple axel jump once in the short program and twice in the free skate. It was not the level which Ladies can do. The situation of Mao's practice was what really surprised me. There were few mistakes and the preparations to land it three times in the Olympics were completed. This is the record which no man has been able to reach and it will not be broken for many long years from now on, too."
“On the day before the free skate, I thought that she needed to rest. But, I couldn't cancel the practice because there was the request, too, from a Japanese person concerned. As a result, Mao made a mistake in the second half because she ran out of energy during her free skate due to fatigue. I think that there was enough of a chance that she could win in the games. After the Olympics, I retreated from the post of coach because there was a responsibility for me, too, who couldn't cancel the practice the day before the free skate.”
(Asada who left Tarasova after the Vancouver Olympics fell into a slump. In December 2011, her mother Kyoko who had supported the competitive life of Asada passed away.)
“Mao was together with her mother whenever she came to Moscow and I met her mother with reverence. She was moderate, was very intelligent and was the person who gave Mao power.”
“Kyoko gave me a letter before passing away. It was written with words of gratitude but it wasn't touched with even one word about a disease. Later, I found that this letter had been the sentences written by a person who suffered under a long illness. She was a really strong person mentally. The death of her mother was a huge tragedy for Mao. Then, I, too, left from Mao. We were a source of energy for Mao. Therefore, I could also understand why Mao fell into a slump.
Part 4: The portrait of Mao Asada by the story which Tarasova talked about.
November 15th, 2013
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/news/131115/oth13111503030000-n1.htm
It will be over ten years since Tarasova began to watch the talent of Mao.)
“Mao is already 23 years old, isn’isn't she? She has continued to compete for over ten years in the front of the sports world. It's no piece of cake to stay in the best condition for such a long period. Losing a darling mother in this period, Mao received a big shock. Nevertheless, she always participated in events all over the world and maintained her position as a top-ranked skater.”
“It is great. Mao presently gazes at her own past once more and must display a performance that restores everything. It is difficult but she can do it. This is because she is a person that never neglects to put forth an effort and who continues to grow.”
(In April this year, Asada decided that she would finish her competitive career after this season. She revealed her inmost feelings, saying, "As a culmination of my skating life, I would like to give my best performance in the Sochi Olympics".)
“As for a so-called career, there is no end. Our skating life doesn't finish. Mao finishes life as an eligible skater and only shifts to another stage. She will surely perform in ice shows all over the world. It is as if she makes her own theater. It will become a big experience for her.”
(Before getting the gold medal which is her earnest wish, the rivals lie ahead. Tarasova disclosed that she is conscious of Yu-Na Kim of Korea, too.)
“After Vancouver Olympics, I think that she needed to take a long rest. Yes, it's like Yu-Na Kim. She interrupted her participation in competition for over 1.5 years. I think that it was necessary to give the mind a rest, for Mao, too. It was a big tragedy for her to have lost her mother. There was the alternative in which she would have participated only in big events, such as Worlds, after the Olympics, too. In that case, she wouldn't have participated in other events. Her competition schedule might have been planned by mistake. If I would have planned it, I would have released her from competition.”
("I defend Mao all the time.")
“I think about Mao even when she isn't near because she participated in events with a costume that I presented to her last season, a 'costume with feathers,' which seems to suit her program, "Swan Lake".
I like her performance very much. If she could continue to win, the programs I choreograph will also be victorious.”
(Tarasova spared the time for this interview, saying, "To pay tribute to Japan which is Mao's homeland". When I asked her to "Please give Mao advice, ", she answered as follows after being silent for a moment.)
“Mao! Recall that time when you successfully landed that triple axel twice in the free skate. Recall that time when you achieved what no one else can do. Then, risk all for your goal.”
The end.
: 
. Great Mao, great Tatiana…
